Melody Maker Magazine 9 May 1998 Creamfields Reading Glastonbury Festival NP008

Original Melody Maker Magazine dated 9 May 1998, featuring a major Creamfields Festival Special, alongside coverage of the Reading and Glastonbury festivals.

This is a distinctive late-1990s music magazine documenting the growing popularity of British dance music festivals, electronic music and alternative rock during the summer festival season of 1998.

The front cover is dominated by a large, colourful festival photograph featuring a smiling blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a dark, shimmering sleeveless top, with both arms raised in celebration.

The background shows an outdoor festival setting, while two smaller circular photographs feature musicians performing live.

The main headline reads:

“Winchester rave on! CREAMFIELDS”

With the accompanying strapline:

“The summer starts here!”

The cover celebrates the launch of the summer festival season and highlights Creamfields, one of the prominent dance music events associated with the late-1990s British clubbing scene.

Creamfields – Main Cover Feature

The main feature focuses on Creamfields, with the cover specifically referring to the Winchester event.

The festival-themed artwork, outdoor crowd imagery and celebratory atmosphere make this issue particularly interesting for collectors of British dance music, rave culture and original 1990s festival memorabilia.

The cover photograph is credited to Simon Price, and the prominent blue-and-yellow Creamfields headline gives the magazine a distinctive visual appearance.

Reading and Glastonbury Festival Coverage

The upper-left section advertises:

“EXCLUSIVE! Full READING and GLASTONBURY line-ups”

This is a particularly notable feature for collectors interested in the 1998 festival season.

The issue promotes coverage of two of Britain's best-known music festivals, offering a contemporary record of the advertised line-ups and festival preparations.

This gives the magazine additional appeal beyond Creamfields, particularly for collectors of Reading Festival and Glastonbury memorabilia.

Free Pint Promotion

The upper-right section prominently advertises:

“FREE PINT! For every reader”

This is a cover-advertised promotional offer from the original publication.

The photograph does not establish whether any associated voucher or redemption material remains present.

Other Featured Artists and Entertainment Coverage

The lower section of the cover advertises a broad range of additional music and entertainment features:

• Garbage – American-Scottish alternative rock band.

• Nick Cave – Australian singer-songwriter.

• Ultrasound – British alternative rock band.

• Saint Etienne – British electronic and indie pop group.

• 60ft Dolls – Welsh alternative rock band.

• The Dandy Warhols – American alternative rock band.

• Baby Bird – British alternative rock project.

• The O-Zone – entertainment-related feature.

• Eurovision – coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest.

• Los Angeles – an additional travel-related feature advertised on the cover.

The top of the magazine also carries the headline:

“UNIVERSE CANCELLED”

The exact context of this story cannot be established from the supplied front-cover photograph alone.

Collector Interest

This issue is particularly appealing because it combines several aspects of late-1990s British music culture.

Creamfields represents the growing prominence of dance music festivals, while the Reading and Glastonbury features reflect the continuing popularity of alternative rock and mainstream festival culture.

The additional coverage of Garbage, Nick Cave, Saint Etienne, Ultrasound and The Dandy Warhols gives the magazine further appeal to collectors of 1990s music journalism.

Magazine / Item Details

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with visible age-related handling and storage wear.

The following assessment is based on the single supplied front-cover photograph.

Front Cover: The main Creamfields photograph remains colourful and clearly presented. There is visible surface waviness, light creasing and general handling wear, particularly around the outer margins and lower section.

Spine / Left Edge: The left-hand edge shows some compression, small handling creases and slight unevenness. Minor roughness is visible along the folded paper edge.

Right Edge: The right-hand edge appears slightly uneven and wavy, with some light fraying consistent with the thin newspaper-style paper stock.

Top Edge: The upper edge shows some waviness and mild curling. The top corners appear slightly softened from previous handling and storage.

Bottom Edge: The bottom margin shows light creasing, waviness and general handling wear. There is a noticeable crease towards the lower central area and some minor bending around the corners.

Corners: The lower-left corner shows bending and wear, while the lower-right corner appears slightly softened. The upper corners also show mild handling wear.

Discolouration: Age-related yellowing and toning are visible around the pale outer margins, particularly along the right-hand and lower borders.

Surface Marks: Minor rubbing, light scuffing and small marks are visible. The main photograph, colours and printed text remain clear and readable.

Tears / Damage: No obvious substantial tears or large missing sections are visible on the photographed front cover. Minor edge irregularities are present.

Interior Pages: The interior pages and back cover have not been photographed, so their condition and completeness cannot be fully assessed.

Overall, this is a vintage reading and collecting copy with visible signs of age and storage wear, while retaining an attractive Creamfields festival cover.

Please examine the supplied photograph carefully, as it forms an important part of the condition description.

Packaging & Postage

The magazine will be carefully and safely folded and packed inside a protective cardboard box for posting.

It will be securely packed to help reduce the risk of crushing, excessive bending and further damage during transit.